German car manufacturer Audi, leading European airplane maker Airbus and the authorities of Germany have signed an agreement which provides for the launch of the Urban Air Mobility project, a unified, automated, terrain-independent taxi service. The project is a part of the EU’s Smart City Development plan.
How does Urban Air Mobility work, in a nutshell? You call a taxi. A pilotless light passenger vehicle with two seats – not unlike a small electric car – comes and takes you to your destination. Whenever it encounters a major obstacle such as a traffic jam or road maintenance in progress, it just soars into the air or descends into the water and continues from there. The entire tech is AI-powered, and all modules use li-ion cells.
But why Audi and Airbus? Actually, the partnership is anything but accidental. Both companies have achieved great success in designing an airborne taxi. In the last year, they revealed their other joint project titled Pop.Up Next, a taxi that can move on the roads and in the air. Think of a passenger capsule made of glass that can be attached either to a wheel chassis or to a flight module. This project may be the one the companies hope to implement with the support from the German government.
It could be said that we’ve seen a lot of similar airborne vehicles over the past few years. However, no single company has ever managed to bring its ground and air transport fleet together in an efficient AI-controlled system.
Airbus has also been looking into transporting passengers using pilotless all-electric helicopters as taxis. The company even demonstrated a life-sized prototype early in 2018. Similar projects are being pursued by Volocopter and Uber.
Photo: motor1.com